Tomoeda
by Semmerie
Summary: Tomoeda, the city ruled by wealth and knowledge. In it, Sakura, a rebellious teenager, is trying deperately to break out of the system. Will she succeed? And fall in love to boot? Based loosely on Wind Singer. AU, slight OOC-ness. SS, SakYukito crush.
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer:** I neither own Cardcaptor Sakura, or Wind Singer. But if I had my way, I would have dumped both into my duffel bag and ran away a long, long time ago. -Laughs evilly-

**A/N:** This fanfic probably resulted from too much Chinese music and lack of internet. -sweatdrops-

**Tomoeda**  
_an epic tale (really.)_

In the middle of the field, an old tree branch splintered, swinging to one side haphazardly. A small child of no more than six sucked in a shaky breath, stubby fingers unconsciously tightening their hold on the hard wood.

"Hoee...please don't break…"

The girl's emerald eyes widened in fear as the branch sagged even further under her weight. Chubby hands instinctively reached for the tree's trunk, and she clung to it with all her might as the branch finally lost its battle against gravity and plummeted to the ground below with a crash. Heaving with shock, the child hung to the top of the tree by her bare hands for a few moments.

Her eyes flicked desperately from side to side, futilely trying to find an escape from her precarious position. After a few seconds, previously hopeful spirits sank a notch when she realized there was none. _Oh, no…_

"_!"_

Suddenly, one of her hands slipped, and for almost a minute, the girl grappled for balance before finally summoning the strength to dig her fingernails into a patch of bark and holding on, securing herself. Drops of sweat clung to her eyebrows, and she was breathing heavily from the exertion. With herself three feet above the ground and nowhere to go but down, what was she going to do?

Eyes brimming over with tears, she called for the only person she knew.

"Yuki-chan…?" Sniffing, she wiped her tears on her sleeve. "Yuki-chan…! Help…"

The patch of bark she was holding on to soon betrayed her. The girl was left hanging onto the tree trunk with only one hand, dangerously close to falling—but determined, she tried to pull herself up. Unfortunately, her remaining hand lost its grip as well and she found herself plummeting like the tree branch before her towards the ground below.

"Aaaahhh!**"** She cried, trying to grab on to something as the air rushed past her, screeching against her ears. Her body was only two feet from the ground now, and she closed her eyes, fearing the worst. But only a few seconds later, she felt herself land into a pair of warm arms.

Opening one eye, the young girl smiled shakily at her savior.

"A-arigatou, Yuki-chan!"

Yukito smiled back, and ran a hand through his white locks. He looked quite relieved as well.

"Sakura...you could have gotten hurt. Didn't your mother tell you not to sit on rotten tree branches?"

"She did…but I thought it would be fun," Sakura muttered grumpily, directing her gaze to the ground. "I didn't know that the stupid branch was going to break all on its own!"

Yukito laughed, shrugging. "Your reason defeats me." And suddenly, for no cause at all, the pair exploded into laughter. There wasn't any conversation for awhile after that, but when they had laughed their fill, the two children lapsed into a comfortable quiet.

Suddenly, young Sakura's face took on an expression of seriousness. Putting a small, dirt streaked hand on Yukito's shoulder, she tilted her head slightly. The older boy looked towards her as well, raising his eyebrows in question.

"Hmm…?"

"Yuki-chan, you're my very best friend!" Sakura exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. Surprised, Yukito froze for a few seconds. After he had recovered though, his face melted into his a warm, trademark smile and he returned the embrace, sighing.

"You're my best friend too, along with Touya. It's too bad that he's too busy to play today." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You're only six years old, Sakura! Soon you'll go to school, and make many more friends. I won't be your best friend for long."

The emerald eyed girl shook her head obstinately, looking mortified at the prospect. "Never! Never ever! We'll be together. Always." Yukito frowned and opened his mouth to reply, but he decided against and closed it again.

Silence.

"…Yuki, will you marry me when I grow up?"

The young boy looked mildly surprised, but he covered it up with a chuckle. "Where did you get that idea?" Sakura glared. "Just answer me!"

Yukito sighed, not wanted to say no as he didn't want to hurt her feelings. "Maybe..." Then, eyes widening, he tugged Sakura's shirt. "I almost forgot! I've got a test at school today! I'd better get you home."

Sakura nodded, letting him lead her back into the house. Along the way, she didn't speak a river like she usually did, but seemed to be thinking about something.

Her youthful face hardened slightly with naïve determination.

_We'll all be together always, won't we? Yuki-chan, Touya nii-san…no matter what._

_

* * *

_  
Ten years later, the two friends sat down at the very same tree. Sakura had matured into a bubbly teenager of sixteen, with short auburn hair that seemed to glow golden in the sunshine. Accompanied with her heart-shaped face and a dazzling pair of emerald eyes, she was the kind of person who made heads turn for a second glance.

Yukito as well, had grown into a man of nineteen years, and possessed a soft, caring pair of golden eyes. His personality hadn't changed a bit, and he was still as soft-spoken and kind as he was ten years ago. The mop of white hair upon his head was slightly messy, yet was tame enough to be considered neat. He was a full five inches taller than Sakura, much to the annoyance of said person.

Sakura closed her eyes and relaxed against the old wood, content just to smell the fresh breeze. The air was always cool and refreshing in the morning and she always made a point to come to the field at the crack of dawn, with or without company. Touya and Yukito agreed to join her most of the time, but lately their meetings together had lapsed.

Her brother had out doing odd-jobs today, and she had only managed to get Yukito to come alone by begging him for almost half-an-hour.

_They're practically joined at the hip!_ She thought, chuckling softly.

"Sakura...?"

She turned around swiftly and faced Yukito, who greeted her with a kindly smile. The teenager suddenly felt a barrage of warmth flood to her cheeks and blushing hotly, she lowered her gaze. It didn't help that she had a hopeless crush on him... She fingered the sleeve of her dress, feeling the rough cotton distractedly.

"Remember the last time we used to play here? You almost fell from the tree, and I had to catch you!" Her friend chuckled. His laughter only made Sakura blush harder.

"Anyway, you brought me here to tell me something, right? So…what is it?"

_Oh!_ She had almost forgotten.

Sakura lifted her head, fiddling with her fingers nervously. "Well..." A pink flush settled on her cheeks. "Yuki-chan...I mean Yukito…" She bit her lip. The real thing was real harder than just rehearsing in front of a mirror.

"Since the time we were friends...I've...really, really...liked..." Sakura trailed off, and her eyes met Yukito's expectant gaze. She could do it! Sakura's face hardened into a mask of determination.

"I really...like...yo--"

**BRING!**

Sakura jumped three feet up into the air, hitting her head against the tree. "Owww…"

_Stupid...school bell…_

Sweatdropping, she quickly gathered her bearings and apologized.

"If I add another tardy to the existing batch I'm afraid I'll be in my sensei's bad books forever! …Gomen Nasai, Yuki-chan! See you later today!" And with that, the auburn haired teenager started sprinting across towards the main road. She stopped a couple of times, waved, smiled, and then continued on her way, still sweatdropping profusely.

Yukito was left behind. He had already quit school earlier that year—his family had come upon hard times, and they were far too poor to handle the countless expenses incurred daily, much less his education. Looking at his hands, the young man sighed.

"Maybe she'll tell me what she wanted to say tomorrow."

* * *

Her bare feet pattering on the muddy ground, Sakura ran towards the building which the authorities had designated the city school. A cart carrying apples blocked her path, its heavy wooden wheels making deep tracks in the mud. She waited impatiently for the truck to go on it way, then started into a sprint again.

Another bell rang, and the emerald-eyed teenager winced noticeably. That meant there was less than five minutes left; she had to rush this time.

It was a good thing she was among the fastest of the village children—she'd constantly won games like tag and race when she was young. Sakura always had a love for running, but she doubted she could make a living out of it. After her village had been taken over by Magistrate Silver, everything had become technical, and your rank in your village depended on how knowledgeable and useful you were. These "ranks" were very clear cut, with everyone in the village wearing distinctive colors signifying their position in society.

Sakura, Touya and the rest of her family were in one of the higher than average ranks, and they all wore cotton clothes dyed blue. Yukito and his family were poor, thus landing them in one of the average ranks, grey. Despite their difference in rank, the field was a safe haven to them and they spent most of their time there in secret.

Sakura frowned, her mind drifting off as her feet carried her swiftly down the street.

She found the system terribly unfair; and she had already been punished countless times for speaking her opinion. She rebelled against it in every way she could, finding the smallest loopholes in the system and defying the teacher's every word. A small way of rebelling, but it was rebelling all the same. It was the only way she could show her dissatisfaction.

"Hey, blue scum! Watch your step!" Sakura skidded to a stop, just in time to let some green clothed citizens pass through. She hid her disgust barely, avoiding their gaze.

"I'm terribly sorry." _That you exist,_ she silently added. "I didn't mean to block your way." Then, she sidestepped them and continued running. She -loathed- green citizens—well, she started loathing them from the time one of them insulted Yukito in public. They were pathetic snobby brats who didn't give a damn about other people's feelings. She had to admit that they were rather smart as well; you had to score well above an average of 1 during the tests or contribute** A LOT** to the society to get upgraded to that rank. But that didn't mean that she respected them.

Sakura stopped running when she reached the gates of the school, joining the floods of other children who were also making their way into the building.

* * *

Along the winding corridors, Sakura's legs led the way. _Left, down, right, two doors to the left..._

And there it was...her classroom. The hell-hole of doom. And first up was math period. Sakura took out her notebook silently, placing it on her desk. The teacher came in soon enough, starting his lesson. His voice was low, monotone, drumming…and very, very boring. In her opinion, trying to even keep awake was torturous—each word was like a needle, stabbing itself into her brain. In other words, it gave her a hefty headache and she'd rather be knocked out and drugged rather than listen to why mathematical equations were mathematical equations.

But since she was in danger of getting suspended, Sakura paid attention. Tried to. Futilely.

…She'd copy the notes from Tomoyo later.

To be continued

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I shall stop here. Sorry, I have no idea how the story should continue! My plot bunny gave birth to another plot bunny, and that plot bunny gave birth to another one, and so on and so forth...-sweatdrops- So, now, I have to choose between the bunnies or blend them together in my juice-maker to make a plot-bunny smoothie. Might take a while. Syaoran's coming later, don't worry.

-is poked by muses- Okay, okay! What I'd really like to know right now is whether you liked this chapter. Please leave a review, I'd really appreciate it. –smiles- Please state your opinion and give constructive criticism where necessary. Arigatou! )


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** The usual. –sniffles- Nothing will ever be mine...

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**Tomoeda**  
_ By Semmerie_  
  
_In the middle of the city, towering majestically over the rooftops of even the highest buildings, was a sculpture of a giant falcon. No-one knew how, or when it was built. Touched by neither the most violent storm nor the strongest winds, no stain ever marred its smooth, metallic surface, though no-one ever bothered to clean it. Glowing almost orange in the sunlight, the bird itself was a picture of beauty, wings frozen in a graceful arc and its head tilted, as if it was looking down on the city itself. Gravity- defying steps led the way up into the clouds. If you climbed them, you would reach a small platform directly over the head of the sculpture, and you would be able to see the whole of Tomoeda in one glance. It was no surprise that the ministers from Magistrate Silver dismissed it as a mere watch tower, built by people from long ago. But if one looked carefully, at the top of the birds head, there was an indent in the shape of a diamond and from it, carefully carved lines which extended down the bird's body, onto its wings, onto its legs...and beside it, an inscription written in beautiful calligraphy...  
_  
_**...Nigarae Miracle...**_  
  
_Was there more to this than the ministers thought?_  
  
Not far away from where Sakura was long-sufferingly trying to pay attention...  
  
Syaoran stared up at the huge metal-bound doors before him. Yelan stood beside him, an arm around his shoulder. His four sisters crowded behind them, unnaturally silent. Yelan reached into the pocket of her green robes, and pulled out an entrance card. Inserting the card into a slot beside the door, she pressed a series of buttons on a keypad. The tension was immense, and you could slice through the silence with a butter knife.  
  
_Code accepted. Welcome to Magistrate Silver._  
  
The doors slid open, and the family walked in together, instinctively sticking close to each other. Making their way down the seemingly endless hallway, they reached a counter, where a minister of the Magistrate was sitting.  
  
"You all know why you're here, aren't you?" The group nodded.  
  
"The prestigious Li Family... You've worked your way up from oranges to blues, and the government holds you in very high respect. Mister Li passed away a few weeks ago, am I correct?" Yelan nodded.  
  
"He was of good use to the Magistrate, and in return for his service, you are being upgraded to Greens. Do you accept?" Syaoran remained stoic. Yelan nodded.  
  
The minister smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes. He sounded tired, as if he had rehearsed this speech a hundred times over. "Please collect your new garments from Lady Nakuru at Exit A. Kindly burn your old clothes once you reach home. You may go." The family turned a corner and moved towards the exit, the sound of their footsteps echoing eerily in the hallway. The place was totally deserted.  
  
They were met by a hyper-active Nakuru at the Exit. Her brown hair tied up into a ponytail, she winked at Syaoran before handing him his bag of clothes. "Have a nice day, and don't forget to brush your teeth! Congrats on getting upgraded!" She showed them out of the building and waved enthusiastically before going back in.  
  
Syaoran observed each of his family members. Yelan's face held a smile that he hadn't seen in a long time—one of relief and comfort. His sisters wore identical expressions on their faces; excitement. Squealing, they showed off their new clothes to each other...even though they were the same...looking at his own packet, he raised an eyebrow at the clothes. Maybe this way, they would lead a better life, instead of having to scrape together money all the time to buy things. He let a small smile slip onto his lips. Maybe green wasn't such a bad color after all...now that he was one...  
  
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Sakura pursed her lips and squinted at the blackboard before her. The notes on the blackboard were written in Sensei's messy scrawl, just as always. Her vision blurred and the chalk-written numbers seemed to meld together in one weird white blotch.  
  
"Ugh..." Muttering a moan of defeat, Sakura shook her head repeatedly and her vision soon went back to normal. Why was it that –everyone- could decipher Sensei's handwriting except her? Why?! Gripping her pencil in a death-hold, she ground it's nib into a page of her notebook in frustration. Looks like she had to consult Tomoyo again...Eyes flicking about warily from side to side, Sakura made sure that Sensei had her back turned before leaning slightly to the right, where her best friend was sitting.  
  
"Psst, Tomoyo!"  
  
The head of raven hair turned. Amethyst eyes twinkling, Tomoyo gave Sakura a look of amused understanding and tossed a leather-bound jotter book into her friend's hands. Sakura shot her a look of thanks before turning back to her desk, scribbling all the math notes into her own notebook with a pen, only looking up occasionally to check whether the Sensei was looking. Then, finishing five minutes later with a flourish, Sakura smiled smugly to herself and handed the notebook back. Then, she reclined back into her chair and examined the notes, which of course, she fully understood.  
  
_Wait a second—density?! We didn't learn anything about density..._  
  
...Most of the time.  
  
Sakura gave the book her best scowl before going on to examine the next set of equations. But after a few engrossed seconds later, she jumped three feet into the air when Sensei's hand suddenly landed on her shoulder. Looking up fearfully, she met Mr. Terada's mirthful brown eyes.  
  
"Er—Sensei!! How nice...to...er...see you here!" Tomoyo held her head in her hands, sighing. Mr. Terada raised an eyebrow, and tapped Sakura's shoulder with a pen.  
  
"I'm glad you're concentrating, Kinomoto. You'd better study those equations carefully—the exams are coming up next week and I expect a pass from you...for once." A titter ran through the rest of the class and Sakura found herself fuming. Looking at her Sensei's retreating back, she rolled her eyes at him before slumping back into her seat, pouting sullenly.  
  
Mr. Terada faced the class and grinned. "Well, before class is dismissed, I would like to make a very special announcement." At this, some students perked up, leaning forward in their seats. Any announcement, no matter how special, was a welcome break from the normal routine. "Today, a new student is going to join our class!" There was a slight pause before the class erupted into cheers. Sakura herself couldn't resist and smiled, breaking out of her bad mood, as she eyed the seat beside her hopefully. It had been very lonely since Takashi-kun left a week ago. Maybe this way, she wouldn't have to copy from Tomoyo so much...  
  
Mr. Terada smiled and gestured to the door. "Please come in, Li." The figure outside the classroom walked in silently and stopped beside the Sensei, observing the class with intense amber eyes. Sakura almost shivered when his gaze turned on her, and she prayed fervently that he could sit beside her. The new student was dressed in the per-normal school uniform, navy blue in color. He had a mop of messy chocolate brown hair, and together with his eyes, Sakura mused, they made a good combination. Mr. Terada didn't hesitate to begin the introductions.  
  
"Well, class, this is the new addition to Tomoeda High, Syaoran Li. Please welcome him and make him feel comfortable here. Even though he is the only green in the class currently, I hope you will make friends despite your different ranks."  
  
_Even though he is the only green in the class currently... _

_Even though he is the **only** green in the class currently... _

_Even though he is the only **GREEN **in the class currently?!  
_  
Sakura's eyes widened and her emerald eyes caught the green symbol on the side of his school shirt a moment too late. She then started to pray fervently again for Syaoran to –not- sit beside her.  
  
But her efforts were futile, as her Sensei focused his gaze on her.  
  
"You may sit next to Kinomoto. Kinomoto, please raise your hand. I hope that both of you sitting together will have good results—I hear that Syaoran is quite good in math. He might be able to help you improve." Sakura cursed and raised her hand reluctantly, eyeing Syaoran with resentful eyes as he walked towards her. Syaoran in turn raised his eyebrows and promptly ignored Sakura, only moving to sit down.  
  
Sakura growled, a little angry that Syaoran had not even bothered to acknowledge her, even if it –was- her fault. She muttered under her breath.  
  
"Welcome? Ha! I'm gonna give you more than just a welcome, Li Syaoran...I'm gonna give you the worst year you've ever imagined." Then, with an unnaturally sadistic smile, she put her notebook under her desk.  
  
And thus was the start of a lovely enemyship.  
  
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The day was not going well for Syaoran.  
  
Moving up a rank was tough; and so was changing high schools. Standing outside the classroom he was fated to be in for the rest of the year, he had felt sick to his stomach; almost nervous, really. He was slightly comforted when Mr. Terada had called him in, and had chosen to retain his silence as he stood in front of the class. The people there were pretty friendly...but some of them –too- friendly, if you knew what he meant.  
  
But Kinomoto? She was bad news.  
  
He recognized that look she gave him when he made his way towards his new seat. ...That expression of prejudice and resentment. Syaoran couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed at the girl's obvious lack of social skills. She hadn't even bothered to get to know him before judging him...stifling a sigh, he chosen to ignore her. Kinomoto was obviously not planning to be friendly.  
  
The lesson continued. Syaoran was bored, having no notebook at all to copy down notes. Frowning to himself, he drummed his fingers onto the table softly. His pride refused to give in—there was no way on EARTH he was going to ask –her- to lend him some paper. Nope. A determined expression settled on his face and he continued staring at the blackboard, trying to commit all the facts to memory. The bell was going to ring in five minutes anyway—he could just grab some notebook paper from the school bookshop after school.  
  
...And to his delight, the bell rang.  
  
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At the sound of the bell, the whole class burst into chaos. At the speed of lightning, students dumped the contents of their decks into their book bags with flourish, before running out of the room at top speed, littering the class with used scrap paper and pencil shavings. Mr. Terada waved the students off as they went, sweeping the floor at the same time.  
  
Sakura was one of the fist ones to get out of the school, and of course, she rushed back home straight away. The roads were particularly congested at this time of the day, but Sakura expertly maneuvered herself through the gaps between the vehicles and not before long, she could see the white washed house she recognized so well. Screeching to a top outside the porch, she twisted her keys into the lock and slammed the door open.  
  
"I'm back, okaa-san!"  
  
Shuffling was heard from the kitchen and Nadeshiko's head poked through the door, smiling tenderly at her daughter. The raven-haired woman looked as pretty as ever, even though she was nearing her forties and was absolutely covered with flour from head to toe.  
  
"Welcome back, Sakura!" Nadeshiko made her way over and gave Sakura a flour- ridden hug. Sakura wrinkled her nose, wiping a smudge of white off her nose with a finger.  
  
"I won't ask what you're cooking." She promised her mother. Nadeshiko smiled, putting a finger to her lips.  
  
"Don't tell otou-san—it's a surprise." Then, she popped back into the kitchen, leaving Sakura to deal with her now flour clogged clothes. Sakura sighed, setting her book bag onto the floor before heading upstairs. The upper floor of the Kinomoto residence was tastefully decorated, the walls colored gaily in different pastel hues. The window at the end of the hallway was open, letting the breeze in and allowing the sunlight to fully illuminate the house. Sakura walked up to a pink colored door, and twisted the door knob.  
  
Sakura had decorated her room herself, and she was very proud of it. The walls were painted a cheery pink and were covered with numerous posters of rock stars. Hanging her jacket onto a hook on the wall, she flung herself on her bed, enjoying the comfort of her duvet. Her ceiling was covered with glow in the dark constellations, and they were fabulous to look at when it was dark. Then, Sakura stood up and went over too her desk. Looking around to make sure no-one was around, she took out a small key from her pocket and unlocked a drawer. Lifting a thick book out of it, she closed the drawer and locked it with the key again. Only after she had done this then she set the book onto the desk.  
  
Clearly, the book was not an ordinary one.  
  
Both it's front and back cover was adorned with painstakingly hand-drawn symbols and pictures, joining together to form an intricate pattern. It was colored a dull red, and it glowed slightly in the darkness. The book was bound shut with a bronze plated clasp. On the front cover, engraved in solid gold, were two words.  
  
**The Clow.**  
  
Sakura unclasped the book, and took out a pack of cards. Her hands ran down the each card's edges, feeling their rough, papery texture. These cards had a distinctly ancient feel to them—they had obviously existed for a long, long time. Sakura drew out a random card from the deck, and read its name.  
  
"Windy..." She muttered, stroking its surface gently with a finger. On the card was the picture of a woman, with wisps of wind surrounding her. The card itself was the same shade of red as the book it was contained it. Sakura sighed and put the card back into the book, and locked the book back into the drawer. Ever since she had found The Clow in her father's library not too long ago, she had kept it in secret, looking and admiring the cards after school when she came back home. Strangely, being with the cards comforted her somehow. They felt like a part of her. In fact, there was something...almost magical...about them...  
  
Sakura shook her head. There was no such thing as magic, not in Tomoeda, not anywhere. Changing into a new set of clothes, she rushed down to meet her family for dinner. Slamming her room door shut, a loud clatter signaled that she had already made her way down the stairs. It was already evening, and Sakura's empty room began to darken.  
  
The only source of light to be found came from the locked drawer which Sakura had put the book in, which had started to glow a steady green...  
  
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Far to the east, approximately a thousand miles away from Tomoeda, a person lay slouched in a cave. Feral red eyes glinted maliciously in the darkness as the figure drew out a small pendant from his cloak.  
  
_"The day has come."_ The man's voice was said in a whisper, yet emanated through the cave. The figure was clearly not of this world.  
  
The man raised the pendant up into the air, and it emitted a green glow, bathing the cave in an eerie light. Looking out of the cave and into the wilderness before him, the man cocked his head and smirked evilly as his eyes detected rumbling in the distance. The slow tremor shook the ground, the rumbling grew louder every minute. The figure chuckled, showing his sharp canines.  
  
_"The queen's soldiers have arrived, and the downfall of the Master shall be at hand...I can't wait..."_  
  
Then, with a swish of his cloak, the man disappeared in a flash of light.  
  
The rumbling grew all the more louder.  
  
_To be continued_  
  
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**A/N:** -sweatdrops- Sorry about the Tomoeda typo in chapter one. I'm not really a spelling person—I was without the internet at that time, and I absolutely couldn't remember how it was spelt, so I guessed. =) It's fixed now and you may enjoy a tomoeda-typo free chapter now. Please review, folks! –points to the purplish button down at the corner-


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** Cardcaptor Sakura and Wind Singer will never be mine, but hey, you don't see me complaining…I always throw my tantrums in secret. –laughs-

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**Tomoeda******

_By yours truly._

It was morning, and the first rays of morning sun penetrated the blinds, bathing the room in warmth.

_Brinnngg___

"Mmm?" Sakura mumbled sleepily, opening a dazed emerald eye. Then, moaning, she turned the alarm clock off with the customary bang and pulled the thick duvet over her head, fully intending to relapse back into sleep. But just before she could close her eyes again, Touya poked his head through the door and swiped the warm blanket off her. Sakura sat up with a start, looking indignant and furious that sleep had been denied her.

****

**_"TOUYA!"_******

****

Unfortunately, her scream of ferocity was too late and Touya, smirking gleefully, closed the door, a pillow hitting it with a resounding _thwack _not long after. Sakura mumbled something rude about stupid Touyas and got up from the bed, disappearing into the bathroom. After disciplining her hair with a few vicious swipes of a comb, Sakura clattered downstairs.

"Good Morning, Sakura-chan!" The rest of the family chorused at the breakfast table. Yukito had joined the Kinomoto family for breakfast, and he waved at Sakura cheerfully before popping a slice of bacon into his mouth, swallowing it down in one mouthful. Sakura smiled back.

"Good morning, Outou-san, Okka-can, Yukito…**Touya…" **The last word uttered was coated generously with malice, and said person smirked back.

"Glad you could join us for breakfast, **kaijuu. **Had enough beauty sleep?"

Sakura promptly stomped on his foot and Touya howled, dropping his fork with a clang.

"**WHY YOU…!!!!!" **

Sakura grinned at her elder brother and sat down in her place at the table, tucking herself in to a bowl laden to the brim with hot porridge. The table was soon filled with hearty chatter not long after, punctuated regularly with laughter.

And thus was a typical morning in the Kinomoto Residence.

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_Somewhere else…_

Syaoran silently picked up his school satchel from its place beside the bookshelf and spread himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich absentmindedly. The house was silent, as it always was in the morning. Syaoran knew very well that his family were not particularly cheerful people when woken up early, especially his mother, and took great care not to disturb them in the wee hours of the morning. Slinging the satchel over his shoulder, he stuffed a set of keys into his pocket and went on his way to school.

Chewing on the sandwich slowly, he made his way through the Sakura Tree path. The path, as you could tell from its name, was lined with Sakura trees and conveyed a feeling of peace and serenity to the people walking along it. Admiring the cherry blossoms which were in full bloom, Syaoran allowed his pace to slow down. School only commenced in two hours time, anyway. Then, his brow wrinkled with thought. Wasn't Sakura the name of that obnoxious girl who sat next to him in school?

_What a pretty name for such an ill-mannered girl. _

Smirking at the thought, Syaoran reached school fifteen minutes later, and walked into an empty classroom.

Walking over to his seat, Syaoran placed his satchel onto the table, and then sat down. Reclining back into his chair, he waited for the other students to arrive.

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The students arrived one by one, and the class was soon alive with chatter. Sakura ran in with minutes to spare, opening the door with a bang. Dragging her school bag behind her and heaving slightly with the exertion of her run to avoid the school bell, she walked to her table and sat down with a thump, head down on the table, arms spread-eagled as if she had just completed a marathon. Sakura vowed never to wake up so late again.

She heard someone clear his throat.

"Kindly get your head and hand off my table," The voice said, with barely concealed amusement. Sakura groaned slightly and waved the person away, not bothering to look up at him. The person prodded her in the shoulder, clearly losing his patience.

"Takashi went off, so these two tables are mine. Go away." Sakura managed to slur, resolutely sticking her face to table's surface. The person, now revealed as Syaoran, bent down until his face was barely inches away from Sakura's, as if he were talking to a child.

"Did I forget to mention that I'm the NEW student who took ownership of this table YESTERDAY?" At this, Sakura sat bolt upright, blushing hotly. She glared at Syaoran for a few moments before reluctantly shifting to one side, then continued to stick her head to her own table again.

"You can have your blasted table," Sakura muttered, looking in any direction besides Syaoran's.

"I shall very much enjoy it," Syaoran retorted scathingly before sitting down, just as Sensei stepped into the room. Sakura barely had time to give him a look of contempt for his cheek before the lesson began. Reaching lazily under her desk to get out her textbook, she focused her eyes on the Sensei, concentrating hard on the maths equations he had written on the black board.

Then, a few minutes later, she let out a frustrated growl of defeat. Sensei's scrawl was worse than usual today, and she'd been so engrossed in trying to decipher whether that symbol was a pi or an equal that she had already missed most of the lesson. Glancing at Syaoran's notebook discreetly, her eyes narrowed when she found it was filled with notes.

_Gah, _she thought. _Just this once…___

Sakura cleared her throat. "Ahem. Li-kun?"

Syaoran looked up from his writing at Sakura.

"What do you want now?"

Sakura's innocent look disappeared in an instant, and an evil grin appeared on her face. Leaning towards Syaoran deliberately, she drew small circles on his side of the table, smiling demurely all the way.

"May I borrow those math notes?" She crooned. Syaoran sweatdropped and smacked Sakura upside the head with his book, then tossed it to her with a glare.

"You could have **just **asked," He sighed, putting his pencil back into its case. "Anyway, you're really bad at seducing people, you know that?" Getting the full end of a death glare, he just snorted and turned back to the blackboard.

Sakura harrumphed. Opening his notes, she started copying notes down at the speed of light. Then, slapping the notes back onto Syaoran's desk with a huge smack, she turned back to the teacher before he noticed anything suspicious. Watching Syaoran give his book a dirty look and brush it off as though it had a multitude of disease-spreading germs on it, she rolled her eyes.

_He might be good-looking, but he's still an obnoxious brat all the same. _

She grinned.

_Much like me.__ Maybe I was wrong to judge him at first glance…?_

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Nadeshiko hung the last piece of laundry up on the line before stepping back to admire her work. There was no denying it—she was a perfectionist if there ever was one. After making sure the rope that was supporting the wet clothes was securely tied in place, she turned towards the house, fully intending to go in a have a nice, long rest.

Unfortunately, her trip back was interrupted as she felt a distinct rumble from below. Delicate features twisting into a frown, Nadeshiko bent down, kneeling on the dusty red earth. Cupping one hand around her ear and directing it towards the ground, she listened carefully for anything out of the normal.

There it was—another rumble. It wasn't an earthquake though. It sounded more like…a lot of footsteps…people running….no, marching. And the clanking of metal. Very faint, yet audible through the earth. There must be a lot of them. They were very close as well.

Nadeshiko stood up, gazing at the ground almost worriedly. Gazing up into the horizon, her pale emerald eyes flicked every which way, trying to look for the source of disturbance. It was getting dark, and she couldn't see too clearly. Squinting, the woman walked towards the edge of fence and looked hard. If she wasn't mistaken…there was something, something moving in the dark.

Her line of vision moved upwards, and her eyes widened. In the middle of the vast field surrounding the outskirts of Tomoeda, there were hundreds, positively thousands of moving dots, glazing obvious even in the fading sunlight. And right at the front there was a huge flag, a flag…blood red…

The basket she was holding dropped to the ground.

_"Soldiers of the Kestrel…"_ Wide, unmasked fear struck her heart just then, and Nadeshiko turned on her heel and dashed into the house. The thumping grew louder, distinguishable as marching and the hoof beats of well-bred war horses, and the earth trembled once again.

The wind was cold, relentless as it passed.

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**A/N: **Sorry, REALLY, REALLY short. This is only part of the chapter, but I wanted to post this so prove that I'm alive, sooo…ehehe. -grinning-


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